Vendetta Online

Vendetta Online FAQ

This FAQ was compiled off of the Vendetta Online message board. It is meant to be a supplement to the rest of the manual - it is by no means complete, but many common user questions are answered here.

Basically, if you don't find your answers elsewhere in the manual, look here.

<<<< MOVING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE >>>>
HOW DO I DOCK?
HOW DO I JUMP/WARP?
WHAT IS THE BLUE BAR AT THE BOTTOM OF MY SCREEN SHOWING?
HELP I’M UNABLE TO JUMP!
WHY DO I HAVE TO GET TO 3000m?
WHAT IS AN ION STORM AND WHY DO I KEEP ENDING UP IN THEM?
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN A STORM?
HOW DO YOU AVOID STORMS AND STAY SAFE WHEN IN A STORM?
HELP I’M UNABLE TO JUMP OUT OF A STORM!
HOW DO I BACKUP/FLY BACKWARDS?
HOW DO I AVOID GETTING SHOT?
HOW DO I PICK UP CARGO?
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT THE CARGO IS?
HOW DO I DROP CARGO?

<<<< ECONOMY >>>>
HOW DO I MAKE/GET MONEY?
WHERE SHOULD I SET MY HOME STATION?
WHAT DO STATIONS REALLY WANT TO TRADE?
WHAT ARE STATIONS BUYING?
WHAT ARE STATIONS SELLING?
HOW DOES THE ECONOMY WORK?

<<<< COMBAT >>>>
IS PVP ALLOWED?
HOW DO I DUEL A MEMBER OF MY OWN FACTION?
HOW DO I SHOOT OTHER SHIPS?
WHAT IS AUTOAIM?
HOW DO I JOIN/FORM A GROUP?

<<<< EQUIPMENT AND SHIPS >>>>
WHAT NATION/SHIP/WEAPON IS BEST?
HOW/WHEN DO I GET WEAPON/SHIP?
HOW DO I BUY AND EQUIP NEW EQUIPMENT?
HOW DO I ADD NEW EQUIPMENT?
HOW DO I SWAP EQUIPMENT?
WHAT IS THE BLACKMARKET?
HOW DO I GET MORE MISSILES FOR MY LAUNCHER?
HOW DO I REPAIR MY SHIP?
HOW DOES THE MASS OF MY SHIP CHANGE HOW IT FLIES?

<<<< LICENSES AND EXPERIENCE >>>>
HOW DO I GET EXPERIENCE/SKILL POINTS?
WHERE CAN I GET A MISSION?
WHAT DOES 0/0/0/0 MEAN?
WHAT DOES LICENSE REQUIREMENTS MEAN?
HOW DO I LEVEL UP?
HOW MUCH XP DO I NEED?
HOW DO I FIND OUT MY CHARACTER INFO?

<<<< MISSIONS >>>>
HOW DO I TAKE A MISSION?
HOW DO I FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT MY ACTIVE MISSION?
HOW DO I DO THE PROSPECTING MISSION?
WHERE CAN I FIND ORE?
WHERE DO I FIND EASY BOTS?
HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED SINCE I STARTED A TIMED TRADE MISSION?
HOW DO I DO THE CEO ESPIONAGE MISSION?
WHERE DO I FIND SCRAP METAL?

<<<< CHAT >>>>
HOW DO I CHAT WITH PEOPLE?
HOW DO I SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE?
HOW DO I SWITCH CHAT TABS?
HOW DO I HAIL A PLAYER?
HOW DO I CHAT WITH OTHER PLAYERS IN THE SECTOR?

<<<< MISC >>>>
DOES PIRATING WORK IN THIS GAME?
WHY DOES THE FIRST SHIP LOOK LIKE A BUS?
CAN YOU LAND ON PLANETS?
CAN YOU MINE ORE?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REACH THE EDGE OF THE SECTOR?

<<<< MOVING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE >>>>

HOW DO I DOCK?
Look for the S on the HUD and fly toward that.
When you get to the station look for the docking bay indicated by the blue triangles at the entrance.
Slowly approach the bay and when you are in the opening you will be given the command to dock
“Press the activate key” to dock

The dock thing with the solid blue force field is NOT the dock you enter to get into the station. It is the dock you come out of the station, NOT the dock you get into the station

HOW DO I JUMP/WARP?
There are 2 different types of jumps, in system jumps and out of system warps

In system jumps
These jumps are made between sectors and require 3000m of distance between your ship and any large gravitational object in the area. At the bottom of your HUD you will see a distance readout that will turn blue when you are at a safe jumping distance. Please be aware that other ships in the area won’t affect your 3000m requirements
Go to the Navigation map (“n” for most players).
Click on the sector you wish to jump into
When you are at 3000m select “Jump”.
If you are not at 3000m close the nav map and fly your ship to a spot that has 3000m of clearance.
You can then press the “activate key” to complete the jump

Out of System warps
These warps are made between systems and require a wormhole and a fully charged battery. In the 'sector' section of the navigation screen, find a square with a swirly blue circle. The swirly blue circle is the symbol that indicates there is a wormhole in that sector

Go to the Navigation map (“n” for most players).
Click on the Universe Map to show the different systems.
Click on the system you wish to jump into.
Select “zoom to system”
Click on the sector you want to go to in the new system. The Navigation computer will automatically enter the wormhole sequence you will have to follow to reach the selected system. This will be marked for you as a moving green line on the map.
Jump to a sector with the proper wormhole.
Fly to the wormhole in the sector. The wormhole appears as crosshairs on the HUD. Under the crosshairs is a distance indicator that shows how close you are to the wormhole jump area.
Once you enter the warp area you will be told to press the “activate key” to complete the warp. You must have a full battery in order to complete the warp. You will be reminded if you try to warp on a discharged battery.

WHAT IS THE BLUE BAR AT THE BOTTOM OF MY SCREEN SHOWING?
The bar at the bottom on the screen is a visual representation of the location of large objects around your ship. Think of a large bubble surrounding your ship. The bar shows the diameter of that bubble. When the diameter is at least 3000m it is safe for you ship to jump.

HELP I’M UNABLE TO JUMP!
There are three things to check if you are unable to jump.
Are you at least 3000m away from any gravitational objects? When you reach 3000m you should have a message near the bottom of your HUD.
Have you selected a location to jump to? Check you navigation map to see if you have a new sector selected. You should see a flashing green line pointing to the sector you want to jump into. If there is not another sector selected check to see if you’ve already jumped into the desired sector.
You are in an ion storm and have to reach the storm exit before you can jump out of the sector.

WHY DO I HAVE TO GET TO 3000m?
According to the Vendetta back story you need to be at least 3000m away from all large objects. Flying towards a dark area is usually a good idea but sometimes you will need to make several course adjustments. Remember dark asteroids blend into the background of space so what appears to be empty space may actually contain asteroids.

WHAT IS AN ION STORM AND WHY DO I KEEP ENDING UP IN THEM?
Ion storms are a daily hazard for all space pilots. These storms interfere with the normal operation of the engines. To jump out of a storm you must find the “storm exit” Indicated by a green “+” on your HUD.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN A STORM?
Ion storms interfere with the jump computer and you will be notified when your ship is pulled into an ion storm. If no matter how much you fly around the meter thing reads a solid 0m you are either flying in circles around an asteroid, or you're in a storm! There will also be ions everywhere giving a rain-like effect.

HOW DO I AVOID STORMS AND STAY SAFE WHEN IN A STORM?
Ion storms usually last for only a few hours but they can be very deadly. These storms are favorite hangouts for pirates and rogue bots.

Some ways to stay alive when you are caught in a storm
Learn to bob and weave while flying.
Use turbo to get out of the storm are quickly as possible.
When you realize you are entering a storm prepare to orientate yourself to the storm exit (green plus on HUD) in a hurry.
Use the select nearest target key to alert you to approaching bots
Keep and eye on your radar for hostiles (red dots)

While using the Navigation computer to plot out your course is a great connivance, the standard jump path is the shortest distance between the two sectors. The risk of using the standard jump path is that you often jump across storms. Pilots may avoid some storms by using the more time consuming method of plotting a course of shorter jumps around active storms and asteroid belts.

HELP! I’M UNABLE TO JUMP OUT OF A STORM!
If you have reached the “storm exit” but are unable to leave the storm check is your navigation map. If the storm is in your final destination sector the navigation computer will not let you jump out of the sector. Selecting a new destination sector should correct this problem.

HOW DO I BACKUP/FLY BACKWARDS?
You can actually fight while backing up. You must be in "physics mode" (use the ‘ key to toggle modes) and decelerate (the s key on keyboard). This is generally called "backpedaling". You can't turbo in reverse. This maneuver is impossible in "arcade mode".

HOW DO I AVOID GETTING SHOT?
Use the strafe keys and roll keys to avoid getting hit. The default keys are “a&d” for left/right, “r&f” for up/down and “q&e” for left /right rolls

HOW DO I PICK UP CARGO?
Look for the purple dots on your radar screen. Fly over the green crates to automatically pick up the cargo. If you don’t have room in your cargo hold you will fly right thought the cargo

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT THE CARGO IS?
You can check out what is in a cargo crate before you pick it up if you select it using “b” and then “k” to get more information.

HOW DO I DROP CARGO?
Pressing ‘j’ to jettison the cargo works in space. There is no way to drop individual cargo crates at this time.

<<<< ECONOMY >>>>

HOW DO I MAKE/GET MONEY?
The major methods for making money are scavenging, trading and missions. However, you can also get credits from another player.
Scavenging
When a bot is destroyed it usually drops a bit of cargo. This cargo can be picked up by flying over the cargo container (green glowing box). Cargo can then be sold at stations to earn credits.

Trading
Vendetta has a dynamic economy that based on the laws of supply and demand. The various stations have different purposes and as a result they have the ability to provide and produce different goods. If you can deliver goods that station is unable to produce you can earn a profit on the trade.
Basic trade rules
Buy low, sell high. Learn what really is a good price for your cargo. Keep track of what you paid for the cargo and how much the station is willing to pay to buy it.
Know your customers. Mining stations produce plenty of ores but lack creature comforts. Research stations need technology and refined materials for their projects. Military stations use technology to create weapons and ships.
Don’t saturate the market. The rarer the item the more it is worth. Items that haven’t been sold to the station in a long time will have a higher price.

Missions
Trading missions give you a task to complete. The tasks range from delivering a single data pad to another station to finding special ore and bringing it back to the station. Successful completion of missions will give you credits and trading experience. It also opens up new types of mission on the mission tree.
When flying trade missions take advantage of extra cargo space to add items to sell for profit along the way.

Transferring credits between players.
/givemoney ""
both players (giver and receiver) need to be in the same sector

WHERE SHOULD I SET MY HOME STATION?
Your home station determines where you reenter the game if you are killed. The default settings allow you to repurchase your ship and equipment. However, if your home station doesn’t sell the equipment you won’t get it back! This means choose your home station carefully and make sure it sells the weapons and ships you want to use.

WHAT DO STATIONS REALLY WANT TO TRADE?
All stations will buy your cargo, however some stations will pay you more for your cargo than others. If the stations manufacture the cargo themselves you will get less for your cargo than at a station that doesn’t make that cargo Here are some generalizations about the needs of stations in Vendetta. Remember that the economy if dynamic so these are just observation not solid rules.

WHAT STATIONS ARE BUYING ?
Mining stations often want creature comforts (textiles, consumer electronics, luxury goods etc)
Manufacturing stations often want ores and some products (plastics, steel, wood, chemicals, dyes, etc)
Research stations often want some products and technology (iron cores, cooling system, microtech replicator, etc)
Military Barracks stations often want weapons components (targeting systems, cooling systems, etc) and other technology

WHAT STATIONS ARE SELLING ?
Mining stations often sell ores of varying quality.
Manufacturing stations often sell some products and some technology
Research stations often sell weapons components and high tech goods.
Military Barracks stations often sell better weapons and combat ships.

HOW DOES THE ECONOMY WORK?
The Vendetta economy is a dynamic economy. This mean that as items are sold to a station the demand and price will go down. If an item is constantly sold to a station the price will continue to drop. The longer a stations goes without receiving an item the higher the price.
<<<< COMBAT >>>>
IS PVP ALLOWED?
YES!
However PvP is supposed to be consensual. Attacking pilots near stations is not allowed and will be severely reprimanded. Strike forces will be deployed to destroy aggressors in station monitored space. Be aware that killing pilots without consent may alter your faction standing. If your faction standing drops too low you will be labeled KOS (kill on Sight) and squadrons of bots will be deployed to attack and kill you if you enter that faction’s monitored space.
If a pilot wanders away from monitored space they are running the risk of being engaged in PvP. These pilots should be prepared to fight or flee any time they leave monitored space. Pilots are encouraged to form coveys or fly in groups for protection when traveling in unmonitored space.

HOW DO I DUEL A MEMBER OF MY OWN FACTION?
If you want to practice your PvP without having to find someone of a different faction you can request a duel. To duel you need to use the /duel command.

<<<< EQUIPMENT AND SHIPS >>>>

WHAT NATION/SHIP/WEAPON IS BEST?
Vendetta is a twitch based game so the best ship is the one flown by the best pilot. Higher levels enable your character to buy better ships and weapons, and also take more interesting missions, but a skilled lower level player could still easily kill a higher level non-skilled player. This is due to the combat system of Vendetta, ie. real-time "twitch" based, rather than “dice rolling” based combat system. Combat is a large part of the Vendetta universe, but it is still possible to play as a trader, (almost) avoiding combat altogether

As you demonstrate your skill as a pilot and trader you will be granted licenses to more complex and powerful equipment.

The missions specialize so one type of ship does have an advantage over another. There are small, agile ships that work well in combat and huge, lumbering cargo ships for traders with a wide range in between.

Pilots have choices: they can choose to specialize in one style of fighting and ship which may limit the missions they can complete, or a pilot could own an assortment of ships and try to match the ship to the task at hand. A player may decide to avoid certain missions all together because they don't match that pilot's flying style.

HOW/WHEN DO I GET WEAPON/SHIP?
As an untested pilot you are only eligible for an EC-88 or an EC-98 with a basic energy weapon. Unfortunately, when you start you have no credits and the EC-98 costs credits so the EC-88 is the only choice.

There is a color-picker that allows you to choose the color of your ship and is located down at your bottom right. Choose the color you want and then click the 'buy' button

Equipment and ships available to pilots holding the next license level will be shown in the “BUY” menu. Equipment and trade goods are in the main “BUY” menu. Ships are in a secondary menu, “Buy Ship” button on lower right side of the main “BUY”menu.

You need to earn experience to prove you can handle the more complex and powerful equipment. Different experience is required for different equipment. For example to get a ship with a large cargo hold you need to demonstrate you have experience in trading. To get a stronger battery you need to demonstrate you have combat experience.

HOW DO I BUY AND EQUIP NEW EQUIPMENT?
You need empty ports to equip new equipment.

HOW DO I ADD NEW EQUIPMENT?
All ships come with a powercell port but the number of S-ports and L-ports varies.
To check the port availability on your ship:
Click on the “ship” tab in the station interface.
Select any weapon you might have equipped that you want to replace.
Click the "unequip" button below the equipment inventory window. The weapon slot you selected should now read "EMPTY
Go to the “buy” tab in the station interface and buy the equipment you want to add. If you have the credits and proper license you will purchase the equipment and it will be automatically installed in your ship.

HOW DO I SWAP EQUIPMENT?
Select the weapon that you want to replace.
Select the equipment in the equipment inventory window you want to swap in.
Click on “equip”

WHERE DO I GET SHIP OR EQUIPMENT?
The availability of equipment varies depending on your license levels, faction standing and the station you are docked at. Different stations will stock different types of equipment.
Combat ships- military bases and barracks tend to carry the best selection of combat ships and weapons
Trade ships- manufacturing stations tend to carry the best selection of ships with large cargo holds.

WHAT IS THE BLACKMARKET AND WHERE DO I FIND IT?
In certain unaligned systems the stations there are not as strict about license levels when selling weapons and equipment. It is possible to go to these stations and purchase weapons you are usually ineligible for in your home system. Corvus Prime is known for its black-market weapons and batteries. However, be prepared to pay a high cost for these items and if you die to not get the item replaced. Also flying into the unaligned systems can be very dangerous so beware of the pirates!

HOW DO I GET MORE MISSILES FOR MY LAUNCHER?
To get more missiles you need to dock at a station. Then choose the ammo menu and buy additional missiles.

HOW DO I REPAIR MY SHIP?
Your HUD will give you a visual indicator of the stats of your ship. When your ship is damaged you have to return to a station before you can make repairs. When you are in a station you can click on the repair menu to repair your ship.

HOW DOES THE MASS OF MY SHIP CHANGE HOW IT FLIES?
Heavier ships require more power to start moving and more power to slow them down. Picking up cargo adds weight to your ship and make is slower to repond to command. Also weapons and batteries may affect the total weight of your ship that also influences handling.

<<<< LICENSES AND EXPERIENCE >>>>
HOW DO I GET EXPERIENCE/SKILL POINTS?
Missions and general combat

The basic combat mission is good for earning combat, light weapon and heavy weapon experience. However you do need to run the mission for a long time because you need to kill over 50 bots in a row, without dying, to earn the maximum experience bonuses.

The cargo transport, reconnaissance/spy and prospecting missions are good for earning trade experience. These are on a mission tree so completing different missions will open up different opportunities for future missions.

Missions are not the only source of skill points. Pilots can also earn Light weapon or Heavy weapon experience by killing bots outside of a mission. You also get Combat experience for killing players with equal or higher level than yourself.

WHERE CAN I GET A MISSION?
You have to dock at a station and then click on the mission menu.
Chose the type of mission you are interested in completing
click on the mission title to select.
After the mission is selected click on “info” to read more information about the requirements of the mission.
Accept the mission to start. Decline the mission if you don’t want it.
Different missions will offer different types and amounts of experience. You will have to try out the missions for yourself.

WHAT DOES 0/0/0/0 MEAN?
The notation 0/0/0/0 is the shorthand for your current license levels. It is in the form of: Combat / Light Weapons /Heavy Weapons /Trading & Commerce.. For example a 4/3/2/1 means you have a level 4 combat license, level 3 light w4eapon license, level 2 heavy weapon license and a level 1 trace license.

WHAT DOES “LICENSE REQUIREMENTS” MEAN?
For example when you see -/1/-/- in the required license area it represents the minimum license levels you need in each area to purchase the item. The dash (- )means there's no minimum requirement. A number means you need to have at least that level. So in this example (-/1/-/-) you only need a level 1 in light combat to purchase the item.

HOW DO I LEVEL UP?
Once you have earned enough experience points you are eligible to take a license test. You can check how much experience you have earned by looking at the character info screen “k”.
For example: Combat Piloting License: 0 (240/2000)
0 = Your current license level
240 = Your current "score" in the combat pilot category
2000 = The "score" required to achieve the next highest level

The test is taken as a mission from the mission menu. The cost for the test is based on the number of experience points needed to get to the next license level.

HOW MUCH XP DO I NEED?
You can check it out in your character info, k for out of station, character info button in the character info tab for in station. There will be some information like this"

Combat 0 (1234/2000)
Left is the skill and current level. The left number of the right thing is your current experience, the right number is the experience needed for your next level.
Level Experience Requirements
Level 1 2000
Level 2 5000
Level 3 9500
Level 4 16520
Level 5 26375
Level 6 41563
Level 7 64345
Level 8 98518
Level 9 149773
Level 10 226660
Level 11 341990

HOW DO I FIND OUT MY CHARACTER INFO?
When flying in space you can use “k” to find out information about yourself and other pilots. If you want to see your personal statistics you have to make sure you have nothing targeted then press “k”. If you want to see information about another player you can target them with “b” and then press “k” to see their information.

When in a station you can check your information buy clicking on the character info menu. You will be given a listing of your inventory at the current station and all cargo and ships stored in other stations. On the lower right side is a small button “char info” click on that to see your personal statistics.

<<<< MISSIONS >>>>

HOW DO I TAKE A MISSION?
You need to be docked at a station to join a mission. Click on the mission menu to see the missions currently available to you at that station. You will see a list with the titles of the missions on the left side. Click on the title of the mission you are interesting in joining and then click on the “info” button. Read the details of the mission and click on either the “accept” if you want that mission or “decline” if you don’t want the mission.

HOW DO I FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT MY ACTIVE MISSION?
Use the mission chat to message the mission bot, the computer who controls your mission. You can message the mission bot two different ways. First you can go to the navigation map and click on the mission tab to activate the mission chat. Type in a question on the line and the mission bot should respond to you. Usually the bot will offer to remind you of the mission goals or let you end the mission. The second way is to use @ (shift-2) to open the mission chat.

HOW DO I DO THE PROSPECTING MISSION?
First of all, before taking the mission you *must have an EPMTY S-PORT slot on your ship!* Got to the "ship" tab in the station interface and select any weapon you might have equipped on an S-port (if you are using a bus it will be the only weapon you have equipped).
Click the "unequip" button below the equipment inventory window. The weapon slot you selected should now read "EMPTY."

If you accepted the mission before having an empty s-port you have got the station hold to get the scanner and manually equip it.

Now go to the "missions" tab and take the prospecting mission. A special scanner will automatically be loaded into your vacant s-port.

To use the scanner get to within 500m of an asteroid and click your primary fire button. A message will appear under your Mission chat tab (activated by pressing shift-2) that tells you if you found any minerals.

WHERE CAN I FIND ORE?
When doing a prospecting mission you are asked to find asteroids containing a specific ore. Hints for finding the correct asteroids: Be sure to have the mission chat open when you scan the asteroids because it will let you know if you are close enough to scan the asteroid and the results of the scan. The physical appearance of the asteroid is a good indicator of the ore found inside. Look at the ore icon in the buy menu before prospecting to help you identify the asteroids faster.

WHERE DO I FIND EASY BOTS?
In the 3 main territories, Itani, Serco and Neutral, the bots in the systems are monitored and each sector will give a report on the types of bots in that sector. In the unaligned systems the bots are not monitored so you have to hunt the bots and make your own records.

The easiest bots are ORUN COLLECTORS. If you are still learning, try to find a sector that only has COLLECTOR bots. They're easy bots with weak weapons and little desire to kill pilots so they usually only attack one at a time. However once you've hit them they'll never give up, so don't hit a second bot until you've finished off the first one or are ready for the second.

The are differences between the collector bots with the DENTEK, KANNIK and ARTEMIS COLLECTORS being more aggressive and better fighters

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED SINCE I STARTED A MISSION (TIMED TRADE MISSIONS)?
There is a "/time" command
Try it in the chatbox. It will give you GMT

HOW DO I DO THE CEO ESPIONAGE MISSION?
You first have to install the scanner. Then you go to the sector the mission tells you to go to. When you enter the sector look for a group of named bots, fly in range of each of these bots and scanner them to find the CEO. When you find the CEO the mission computer will tell you and you may return to the station.

WHERE DO I FIND SCRAP METAL?
Scrap metal can be found in DENTEK COLLECTOR ESCORTS, these are the bots found flying in formation with a TRANSPORT.

<<<< CHAT >>>>
HOW DO I CHAT WITH PEOPLE?
There are 6 different types of chat available in Vendetta. From the most public to the most private: channel, sector, bar, guild, group, and private message. The seventh is chatting with the message bot.
To chat to a channel press “T”. To select a channel you need to use the /join command.
To chat to the sector press “t”.
To chat with the Bar you need to dock in a station and click on the “bar” tab.
To chat to your Guild press “G”. You must be a member of a guild to use this chat
To chat with your group press ‘g’. You must be a member of a guild to use this chat
To chat with the mission bot you press “m”. You must have an active mission for the bot to respond

HOW DO I SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE?
To send a private message use /msg ”name” with the player’s name in quotes.

HOW DO I SWITCH CHAT TABS?
You can change chat tab by going to the navigation menu and clicking on the tab you want. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts “T’ for channel, “t” for sector, and “m” for the mission bot.

HOW DO I HAIL A PLAYER?
You can hail a player by selecting them and pressing “h”. Many NPCs will talk back to you when you hail them.
<<>>>

DOES PIRATING WORK IN THIS GAME?
The traditional modes of piracy work like these:

Scenario 1:
Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Go screw yourself!
Pirate: AVAST!!
*Rockets fly, trader blows up, pirate takes cargo.*
Trader: Fsck!
Pirate: Ye were warned!!

Scenario 2:
Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Whatever you say pirate sir.
*Jetissons cargo, pirate takes what he can fit. Trader goes on his merry way.*
Pirate: Pleasure doin' business with ye.
Trader: *mutters*Go screw yourself.*mutters*

Scenario 3:
Pirate: YAR!! Drop ye cargo or be destroyed ye lilly livered roid farmer!!
Trader: Make me.
Pirate: Yar!
*Rockets fly, pirate ship goes boom.*
Trader: Ha ha!

Scenario 4:
Pirate:
*Afterburners engaged, Rockets flying
Trader: WTF is tha.....
*trader blows up, pirate takes cargo.*
Trader: Fsck, you suck!

As far as profit goes, piracy is not very good. It takes a very smart and patient pirate to actually make a profit from it, and even then it pales in comparison to what a good trader can get. You have to choose your targets wisely and pick the fights you know you can win.

WHY DOES THE FIRST SHIP LOOK LIKE A BUS?
When you are mass producing an item to be given away to people you often have to sacrifice quality for quantity. For the beginning pilot the EC class ships offer the chance to learn from your mistakes without spending a fortune. If your ship explodes you can get a free replacement. However, as soon as you earn a combat license you will have access to better looking and performing ships.

CAN YOU LAND ON PLANETS?
Not at this time.

CAN YOU MINE ORE?
Not at this time.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REACH THE EDGE OF THE SECTOR?
You technically cannot reach the edges because they sectors are infinitely large. You could keep on flying forever but there is nothing to see out there. There is no reason to go out that far unless you are a true hermit.

Special thanks to Sarah Ratelis, and everyone on the message boards, for compiling this FAQ.